Metal curb



0, 1934- G. G. GLADMAN METAL CURB Filed Aug. 13, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet l\ 00060 -OO0O o o o o o o INVENTOR GORDON G. GLADMAN 187 M1, [#0

Oct. 30, 1934 e. G. GLADMAN METAL CURB Filed Aug. 3, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 6 RfiCiGL/WMAN s ATTORNEYS Oct. 30, 1934. G. 5. GLADMAN METAL CURB Filed Aug. 13, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOFI G RDON .GLADMAN 57%;! My

ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 30, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFics 'METAL CURB Gordon G. Gladman, St. Paul, Minn. Application August 13, 1932, Serial No. 628,691

'2 Claims. (01. 94-31) .In present road construction, especially concrete roads, it is customary, and sometimes required by highway specifications, to provide the road with a concrete shoulder at each side. Theseshoulders vary in width from .eight to twelve inches and slope upwardly from the surface of the road. Such concrete curbs possess many disadvantages which I aim to overcome by my present invention.

The concrete shoulders or curbs now provided on concrete roads reduce the useful surface of theroad by the Width of the shoulder at each side. Also, such concrete shoulders tend to cause accumulation of surface water on the road which makes the road dangerous during the winter season. Moreover, the accumulation of water on the road gets into the expansion and contraction joints and, upon freezing, causes serious breakage of the road surface. Also, water that seeps into the expansion and contraction joints finds its way under the concrete slabs and when it freezes, it causes serious heaving and curling of the slab. When it is desired to widen the road, as is often the case, it is necessary to chip off the concrete shoulder for the entire length of the road.

My present invention has for its object to provicle a metal curb or shoulderfor concrete roads which is ofsimpleand durable construction and which canbe employed m lieu of concrete curbs or shoulders now used with many advantages of economy in construction and maintenance.

It is an object of the invention to provide a metal curb or shoulder for roads which will provide for adequate surface drainage, thus obviating the accumulationoi water on the road and permitting its escape therefrom. 1.

Another object of the invention is to provide, a metal curb or shoulder for roads which can be added to roads already in existence that are not provided with any kind of shoulder and which can be readily installed.

. Another object is to provide a metal curb or shoulder which can readily be removed whenever it isdesired to widen the road upon; which the metal shoulder is used. When widening is undertaken, and the metal shoulder'removed, it will have an appreciable salvage value which is not true of concrete shoulders which must be chippedoff when the road is to be widened.

Other objects of the invention and the numerous advantages thereof will be more fully brought out as the description proceeds.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown, by way of illustration, two embodiments of my invention. I desire it to be understood that the invention is not limited to the details of construction therein shown but that it may be eme bodied in other forms without, sacrificing any of its advantages and without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of a road having a. metal curb or shoulder of my invention secured thereto;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of a metal curb or shoulderconstructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 2; p

Fig. 4 is a sectional view takenon line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view, partly in section and partly in elevation, showing a form of means for securing the metal curb or shoulder to the edge of the road;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 3;.

Fig. '7 is a sectional view taken on line 7-7 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary plan View of the metal curb shown in Fig. 2 and illustrating, particularly,

the slip joint employed for adjacent sections of the curb;

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a modified form of my invention; a

Fig. 10 is a plan view of the modified form of curb shown in Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is a sectional view taken on line 11--11 of Fig. 10;

Fig 12 is an enlarged-sectionalview showing the modified form of curb and the manner of attaching the same to the road; and

Fig. 13 is a sectional view taken on line l3'--13 of Fig. 10.

Referring now to the drawings, reference numeral 15 indicates a section of concrete road constructed in accordance with any recognized highway specifications for this type of road work. The concrete road is provided with reenforcing bars, 16 which may be of theusual form and located in the body of the concrete in the usual manner.

The metal curb or shoulder of my invention, as shown in Fig. 1, comprises a curved shoulder portion 17, an attaching portion 18 and a connecting web 19. As shown in the drawings, the curved shoulder portion 1'7 is provided with a plurality oi apertures 20 preferably located at that portion of the shoulder which is closest to the surface of the road 15. These apertures may be spaced or arranged in any desired manner. The apertures are provided for the purpose of permitting the drainage of surface water from the road 15. As will be clear, the water escapes through the apertures 20 into the tro'ughlike formation of the curb and may be drawn off at suitable intervals through outlet pipes 21 which may lead to any desired discharge point suitably spaced from the road.

The connecting web 19 may be provided with reenforcing ridges or corrugations 22 to add strength to this portion of the structure.

The metal curb of my invention will be made up in sections of suitable length and these sections may be joined together in any desired manner to form a continuous metal shoulder or curb. One way of accomplishing this result is to provide a slip joint such as that illustrated particularly in Figs. 2, 4 and 8. As will be seen from an inspection of Fig. 2 one section of the curb is offset, as at 23, and the other section ofiset as at 24. One of these sections is also split as at 25 thus providing a slip joint of such a character that two adjacent sections may with ease be put together in the manner shown in the drawings.

In order to secure the metal shoulder to the road, I have provided securing brackets 26 which are embedded in the concrete of the road when it is poured and which are provided with hearing yokes 2'7 which engage certain of the reenforcing rods or bars 16. This provides a substantial and permanent connection between the road and the securing brackets 26. The said securing brackets terminate at the outer edge of the concrete and are provided with metal loops 28. The attaching portion 18 of the metal curb is provided with slots through which the loops 28 pass, whereupon a suitable wedge or key 29 may be driven in through the loops 2% thus connecting the curb to the securing brackets 26. This is but one simple way of attaching the metal curb to the concrete road. Obviously, the attachment may be carried out by numerous other means.

In order that the wedges 29 may be driven into the loops 28, they must be accessible from the outside of the shoulder and for this purpose the shoulder portion of the curb is provided with a plurality of openings 30 of sufiicient size to permit passage of the wedge and entry of a suitable tool for driving purposes.

It will be noted that the outer edge of the curb is rolled to form a beaded edge as at 31 which gives a finished appearance to the curb and also adds to the strength of the construction. As will be seen, particularly in Fig. 3, the connecting web 19 is rolled into the bead form on the shoulder portion 1'7.

A metal shoulder of the character thus far described will fulfill all of the objects of the invention heretofore set forth. I have provided a simple but strong metal shoulder which may readily be put in place at the time the road is laid, or at any other time, and which will provide adequate surface drainage of the road, thus eliminating one of the most serious objections to the concrete curbs or shoulders now commonly employed. When it is desired to widen the road, it will be a simple matter to take oil the metal shoulder and pour additional concrete, it being understood that new securing brackets 26 will be embedded in the added concrete. Obviously, the drainage pipes 21 may be connected to suitable accumulating pipes to permit of the distribution of the drained water to any desired place located at a suitable distance from the road.

A metal shoulder constructed in accordance with my invention will be of pleasing appearance and will form a safe guide for travel, especially at night, because it is much mor readily visible than the concrete shoulders now in use.

In Figs. 9 to 13 inclusive I have shown a simple modification of my invention which provides a metal curb not having the drainage features of the embodiment of the invention heretofore described. This modification also illustrates a different means of attaching the metal curb to the concrete, which means may be employed in connection with the first embodiment described.

In Fig. 9, reference numeral 40 indicates a concrete road of any standard construction. At each edge of the road I have provided a metal curb or shoulder comprising a curved shoulder portion 41 and an attaching portion 42. At suitable intervals in the length of the metal shoulder, I have provided reenforcing bars 43.

To secure this type of curb to the road, I embed in the concrete a plurality of securing brackets 44 which are provided with securing bolts 45 which extend beyond the edge of the concrete. These bolts pass through suitable slots in the attaching portion 42 of the shoulder and through the reenforcing bars 43, whereupon suitable nuts 46 may be employed to hold the shoulder securely in place.

It will be noted that the slots in the metal shoulder and in the attaching brackets are elongated in this embodiment of the invention, as well as in the embodiment heretofore described, thus providing for expansion due to temperature changes.

The metal shoulder of this second embodiment will also be made up in sections of suitable length which can then be easily joined together to form a continuous metal curb or shoulder. For this purpose, adjacent sections are fitted together by means of a simple form of slip joint which will adequately provide for expansion and contraction due to temperature changes. In the present case, one section of the curb is olfset as at 4'7 and the other one as at 43 thus providing for overlapping of the sections and one of the sections is provided with a slot 49 into which a portion of the other section may slide. In Fig. 13, I have shown in cross section this type of slip joint and in Fig. 10 I have shown the joint in plan view. I believe that the structure of the joint will be readily clear to those skilled in the art.

In this embodiment of the invention, as well as in that heretofore described, the outer edge of the shoulder portion is rolled to form a bead edge 50 for the purpose of enhancing the appearance of the curb and increasing its strength.

It will now be seen that I have provided an improvement of great value in road construction in that I have produced a metal curb or shoulder of simple and durable construction which may be employed in connection with old roads or new ones. The metal shoulder is economical to make and to install and can readily be removed when the road is to be widened. Moreover, the metal shoulder of my invention provides for adequate surface drainage thus eliminating the destructive action of freezing water which is especially encountered in the cooler parts of the country. The metal shoulder of my invention provides a safe guide for driving and is readily visible at night.

It will be understood, of course, that any suitable gauge and weight of metal may be employed and this is merely a matter of selection to meet particular conditions. Moreover, the metal curb or shoulder of my invention is a manufactured proposition; it can be made up in standard lengths at the factory and shipped to location and readily put in place with the employment of unskilled labor. In the case of concrete shoulders, they must be laid on the job and very often the formation of the shoulder delays the work of the contractor who is placing the pavement. Thus, by my invention, metal curbs of standard construction may be obtained for road work possessing all or" the advantages heretofore described.

I claim as my invention:

l. A metal curb for roads comprising an attaching portion adapted to be secured to an edge of the road and an arched shoulder portion extending upwardly and laterally from said attaching portion.

2. A metal curb for roads comprising an attaching portion adapted to be secured to an edge of the road and an arched shoulder portion extending upwardly and laterally from said attaching portion, said shoulder portion being provided with drainage apertures.

3. A metal curb for roads comprising an attaching portion and a shoulder portion, said shoulder portion being provided with drainage apertures, andmeans associated with said curb providing an outlet for water passing through said aperture.

4. A metal curb for roads comprising an attaching portion, a shoulder portion and a connecting Web, said shoulder portion being provided with drainage apertures, and means secured to said connecting Web for receiving Water passing through said apertures and providing an outlet for said Water.

5. The combination with a concrete road of a metal curb comprising an attaching portion and a shoulder portion, securing means for said curb embedded in said road, and means for connecting said attaching portion to said securing means.

6. The combination with a concrete road of a metal curb comprising an attaching portion. and a shoulder portion, securing means for said curb embedded in said road and extending to the can terior surface of the edge of said road, and means for connecting said attaching portion to said securing means.

'7. The combination with a concrete road having longitudinally extending reen orcing bars, of a metal curb, securing means for said curb e1nbedded in said concrete and engaging said reenforcing bars, and means for connecting said curb to said securing means.

GORDON G. GLADMAN.

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